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Temperature is rising...

My husband and I argues a lot in regards with temperature of our kids.
When he feels our son is slightly warm he would tell me to check his temp. First, I will feel him (with my hand)
if he's warm and I guess it is a mother's instinct to tell if the temperature is considered a fever.

But my husband is being paranoid, checks our son using thermometer and if he sees the thermometer read 37 Celsius and above (97-99 F)
he will give Paracetamol.
Well, for me 36-37 degrees still okay but above 38 I consider it fever.

What is the temperature of a kid to be considered as fever? When is the time to give Paracetamol? When is the time to call the doctor?

Giving a fever reducing medication when it's not truly needed can do more harm than good. These medications put stress on the liver, and too much can actually cause liver damage. A small dose every now and then is probably not going to cause a problem (check with your doctor) but in general, if my child doesn't need it, I don't give it - their little livers already have enough to deal with from the toxins we ingest through our food, water and environment (touching plastic, breathing car exhaust, etc.).

I typically won't give my child a fever reducing medication if their fever is under 103ºF, and sometimes I'll let it go a bit higher than that.

If your child has had a febrile seizure (which typically doesn't happen before 6 months of age or after 5 years of age) then you'll probably want to talk to your doctor about when to give the fever reducing medication. In that case you may want to give it when the fever reaches 102ºF to avoid another febrile seizure, but in most cases, children (over the age of 1) can tolerate fever of 103ºF - 104ºF with no problem. I usually notice that my children get more agitated when the fever goes over 103º and at that point I'll give them a fever reducing medication just to help them relax and feel better so they can sleep.

The benefit of fever is that it's the body's natural mechanism for fighting off illness. When the fever rises (the body gets hotter) this kills off the pathogens (virus/bacteria, etc.). When all the pathogens are killed off, the fever goes away and the body temperature will return to normal.

A low grade fever (below 101ºF) rarely needs to be brought down by medication and studies have proven that when fever reducing medication is given, the illness can actually last longer because the body isn't given the chance to increase heat to a point where it can kill off the pathogens quickly.

Hope this helps and feel free to post back any questions this may bring to mind.

I agree with Kate. All fever-reducing medications should be used sparingly. They are dangerous for the liver and largely unnecessary. A fever is a sign that the body is working and it works to kill of bacteria/viruses naturally while strengthening the immune system. We use medications very sparingly with our four little ones.

Thank you for the advice and wonderful post. It is very helpful. As you can imagine, my husband is so paranoid (or should i say concerned) that even a slight fever we need to give him medication and now I have to talk to him and let him read this thread so he can be less paranoid and not think of fever as something he needs to be alarmed.

Every time we go to the doctor for our kids check-up or vaccine, I am the one inside and listens to the doctor for possible fever outbreak after the vaccine. Because if he is the one inside talking to the doctor, my husband would be like "giving the med right away as the doctor said because the kids will get fever."

Sometimes, there a vaccines that my kids would get fever but most of the time they don't and I don't give fever reducing medication unless they are uncomfortable especially at night.

I just have a small question. What is the best way to take your baby's temperature? Some people tell me to take it under the arm, in the ear even in the rectum. So what is the proper way to take a baby's temperature. I have also found mixing vinegar in with luke warm water and batheing baby in there till they start to shiver tends to break a low to moderate fever. If that helps anyone, just becareful not to get the water in baby's eyes.

For a baby under 1 year I understand the most accurate way to measure their temperature is with a digital thermometer in the ear or under the arm. Just make sure you don't measure it within 20 minutes of them having a bath as this will make the reading unreliable.

If taking the temperature under the arm, you will want to add .6ºF to it, giving you a slightly warmer reading. I don't know what this works out to in a celcius reading because when I did a conversion it gave me a negative number -17.4C.

Doctors used to take a temperature rectally to get the most accurate reading, and I'd say this is probably still the most accurate way to take a temperature. But there are many good divices out there now that can take a fairly accurate reading under the arm or in the ear (only use a very special "ear reading" thermometer when taking a reading that way).

Usually, for a mild, low to moderate fever, you don't want to bring the fever down because the fever needs to do it's job, which is to kill of the pathogen that is causing it. In a high fever bringing the fever down with a bath can be helpful and make the child more comfortable. My Sister-In-Law used to start with a warm bath and then run the cold water in the bath water to bring the temp down. She said this helped her child to adjust to the temperature of the water without feeling like he was being put into cold water (even though it wasn't cold, but to a child with a fever, it can feel that way).

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I do still use the traditional thermometer (Mercury) and for me it is still the best and gives accurate temp. But I do keep a digital thermometer just in case i feel unsure with the traditional I have a spare.

And giving bath to a baby with fever, i use warm water and sometimes i just give sponge bath.